Board of Directors

Board of Directors

Daybreak Children's Rare Disease Fund Board of Directors is composed of volunteers serving for terms of two years. The Board is supported by the advice of ad-hoc and standing committees such as the Scientific Advisory Board.

LUCA DI MONTEZEMOLO

President

Currently chairman of the Board of Directors of Italian flag carrier Alitalia, chairman of the “Comitato Olimpico Roma 2024” and President of Fondazione Telethon Italia Mr di Montezemolo is a former Chairman of Ferrari SpA and of Fiat S.p.A. Mr di Montezemolo is a founder and former president of NTV, Europe's first private open access operator of high-speed trains. Mr di Montezemolo holds a Masters in International commercial law from Columbia University.

FRANCESCA PASINELLI

Vice President

Managing Director of Fondazione Telethon since 2009, Mrs Pasinelli led a brilliant research and managerial career with major pharmaceutical companies such as Glaxo Spa, SmithKline Beecham and Schering Plough. Mrs Pasinelli, a 2005 Bellisario Award recipient, holds a Degree in Pharmacy and specialized in Pharmacology at the University of Milan.

DANIELE BODINI

Board Member

Mr. Daniele D. Bodini serves as Chairman Emeritus of American Continental Properties Group (ACP). He is the Ambassador of the Republic of San Marino to the United Nations; Chairman of the Foundation for Italian Art & Culture; Chairman of the American-Italian Cancer Foundation; Chairman of San Patrignano, USA; Member of the Board of Overseers of Columbia Business School; Board Member of the Buffalo Bill Memorial Association (Cody, WY); and Board Member of the Council for the United States and Italy. Born in Italy, he received an M.A. in engineering from the University of Rome in 1968 and an M.A. in architecture in 1970. In 1972 he received an MBA from Columbia Business School.

DR. MICHAEL J. CAPLAN

Board Member

Michael J. Caplan is Chair of Daybreak Children’s Rare Disease Fund Scientific Advisory Board, Chair of the Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology at Yale and former member of Fondazione Telethon Italia Advisory Board. He holds a Bachelor degree from Harvard University and an M.D. and Ph.D. from Yale University.

EDUARDO R. MENASCÉ

Board Member

Eduardo Menascé is Chair of Daybreak Children’s Rare Disease Fund Audit Committee and the former President of the Enterprise Solutions Group of Verizon Communications. He holds a Bachelor degree in Industrial Engineering from Universidad Pontificia Catolica de Rio de Janeiro and an MBA from Columbia University.

DR. PRIYA STEPHEN

Board Member

Dr Stephen is a Pediatrician with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, one of the world’s leading children's hospitals and is Jacob’s mom. Dr Stephen received her medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine, completed the Pediatric residency training at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington DC.

GIUSTINA MAGISTRETTI CIPRIANI

Executive Director

Former Executive Director of Italian Scientists and Scholars in North America Foundation, the largest network of Italian researchers in Canada and the United States, Mrs Magistretti led a successfully eclectic career in the European Commission and the corporate world and as a social entrepreneur. Mrs Magistretti holds a Degree in International Law, a Masters in Management of Not-for-Profits from Duke University.

DANNY WEGMAN

Former Board Member

Chairman and CEO of Wegmans Food Markets, a family-owned U.S. regional supermarket chain headquartered in Rochester, NY, Mr Wegman graduated with honors from Harvard University with a degree in economics, is a member of the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and after serving as Daybreak Board member has become Chair of the University of the Rochester Board of Trustees.

Officers of The Foundation

TIZIANA CIRACÒ

Treasurer

Chief Financial Officer of Fondazione Telethon since 2010, Mrs Ciraco gained wide finance experience initially in an international environment (Telecom Italia), then in the Strategic & Finance department of a Start-Up firm (Atlanet) and in a publicly listed multinational ISP (Tiscali). Mrs Ciraco holds a Degree in Mathematics.

CHRISTIAN MORETTI

Secretary

Christian Moretti is currently a partner and the Chair of the International Group at Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis, a leading U.S. law firm. Mr. Moretti is a permanent member of the Board of Advisors of the Columbia Law School Alumni Association, after having served as its President, First-Vice President and Director for several years. Mr. Moretti is also a senior officer and a co-founder of LaFondazione NY and the Venetian Community (New York).

Daybreak Children's Rare Disease Fund is the operational name of Friends of Telethon Foundation Italy.

Daybreak Children's Rare Disease Fund is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization whose mission is to support the best research aimed at the cure of rare genetic diseases. Daybreak choose as primary beneficiaries of its efforts Fondazione Telethon Italia and its two world-class research centers, TIGEM and TIGET.

Daybreak Children's Rare Disease Fund is committed to raise awareness on rare genetic diseases and to promote timely development and availability of safe and effective diagnostics and treatments for affected persons.